News & Media
Pandemic speeds up operational changes at Sweetgreen
by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
Like so many other restaurants around the world, Sweetgreen shifted into crisis mode COVID-19 hit but is now preparing for its version of the "new normal."
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Former Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Johnny Rockets CEO tapped to lead Wahlburgers
May 28, 2020
Wahlburgers, a Boston-based fast casual restaurant with 37 locations in North America, the U.K. and Europe, has hired John Fuller as president and CEO.
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Dave's Hot Chicken opening in San Diego
May 28, 2020
Dave's Hot Chicken, an LA-based fast casual is opening in Pacific Beach, marking its first location in San Diego.
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Peet's Coffee reopens 13 stores
May 28, 2020
Peet's Coffee has fully reopened 13 more locations as of today in California, Colorado, Maryland, and Virginia. Aside from those stores, other locations are…
read nowLe Pain Quotidien selling for $3M
May 28, 2020
Le Pain Quotidien in the U.S. has filed for bankruptcy in Delaware, but Aurify Brands LLC is hoping to buy it for $3 million, pending court approval, according…
read nowBlaze opens third Tampa-area store
May 28, 2020
Blaze is opening a new Florida location on Monday at the University of South Florida at Fowler Avenue and North 51st St., a news release said.
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Panera hires chief concept officer
May 28, 2020
Eduardo Luz has joined Panera Bread as chief brand and concept officer and will be overseeing marketing, digital, strategy/insights and culinary teams…
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Revel Systems becomes preferred POS provider for The Halal Guys
May 28, 2020
Revel Systems announced an agreement to become the preferred point-of-sale system by The Halal Guys at more than 80 of its franchise locations.
read now20 Fast Casual Brands to Watch in 2020
In the second edition of this report, FastCasual reveals 20 of the year’s most newsworthy fast casual concepts and discusses why they not only have the…
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Fazoli's wins 2020 Excellence in Food Safety Award
Chipotle and Five Guys took home honorable mention for their efforts.
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Zaxby's shares COVID-19 recovery plan
by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
After reading the PPP criteria and realizing that Zaxby's qualified, CMO Joel Bulger said the chain applied and then ended up giving back every cent.
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DoorDash enters delivery partnership with Sweetgreen
May 27, 2020
Sweetgreen, which has more than 100 locations and was recently named Fast Casual's Top 100 brand of 2020, has tapped DoorDash to help it deliver to customers.
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Pandemic not stopping Captain D's from opening new locations
May 27, 2020
Captain D's has opened its newest franchised restaurant in Lancaster, South Carolina. Located at 1307 Charlotte Highway, it marks the brand's first location in…
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Tork pledges $100K to help restaurants provide meals to pandemic workers
May 26, 2020
Tork, a global professional hygiene brand of Essity, is donating 100,000 to restaurants and hospitals in Philadelphia, the headquarters for Essity's global…
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Farmer Boys supporting The Great American Takeout's Burger Bash
May 26, 2020
Farmer Boys, a Southern California-based fast casual, is a presenting sponsor of The Great American Takeout's Burger Bash event on National Hamburger Day, May…
read nowReopening of dine-in service helping restaurants make small progress
May 26, 2020
Customer transactions at major U.S. restaurant chains declined by -21% in the week ending May 17 compared to the same period last year, a slight gain from last…
read nowMenuDrive platform helping restaurants launch online ordering in 1 hour
May 26, 2020
MenuDrive, a white-labeled online ordering platform, has launched MenuDrive Self Sign-up for restaurants, which allows them to launch online ordering and…
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Chicken Salad Chick making Little Rock debut
May 26, 2020
Chicken Salad Chick is expanding in Arkansas with its newest restaurant in Benton. Located at 20370 Interstate 30 North, the restaurant marks the brand's third…
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Fruitive launching franchise initiative
May 26, 2020
Fruitive, a vegan fast casual restaurant, is now franchising across the United States, offering prospective owners the opportunity to bring a 100% plant-based…
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Naf Naf names CEO
May 26, 2020
Naf Naf has named Greg Willman as its CEO, effective June 15. Gary Beisler, who has been filling the role on an interim basis, will continue as chairman of the…
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